fathom

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:41 AM) Groin injuries are nagging as all hell and for someone who runs that's about as bad of an injury as you can get. Go back about two months ago, and you'll see this same exact statement from me. I was saying that anyone expecting him to come back and jump start this offense again was setting themselves up for disappointment. Nothing's worse than a groin injury for a porn star or a base runner. I just always had some doubt about whether or not the injury was serious enough for him to go on the DL.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:39 AM) Cmon now, Pods had the great obp's of Juan and Crede hitting ahead of him all year long. His slugging percentage is less than .300 with RISP.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:39 AM) I fear you underestimate the grind of 162 games on a body. 1st off, no one, NO ONE, is 100%. 2nd, the fact of the matter is that the team as a whole is slacking. Look at how it was clicking in the 1st half. The team lost that mentality and it has hampered everyones play. He had his two week DL trip to recover (for an injury that I'm not quite sure was ever too serious). All along, the Sox organization talked about resting his legs for the stretch run. Well, the stretch run has been going on, and Pods has been basically mediocre all around.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:37 AM) We'll see what happens to the bosox offense if Damon doesn't resign. I bet Boston will find a guy not necessarily with speed, but a guy that can get on base. Screw it, lets get Durazo and make him our leadoff hitter. At least we could have a leadoff hitter that could knock in more than 30 runs in a full season.

Guys....it's this simple. JPHAT told us that Pods is a better leadoff hitter than Grady Sizemore. Can we stop arguing now?

QUOTE(YahtzeeSox @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:34 AM) Who the hell cares about that. Not all players are about power, dude. I really would have expected someone with your knowledge to know this. I don't know if you watch Sox gams through the internet or whatever, but Pods was freakin' amazing in the first half and there is a reason he bats #1, so he can get on base and steal bases which he did perfectly for a half a season until his injury! Does it matter if he plays OF, IF, C? Not really, you can get power players for any position nowadays. I think what he's trying to say is that on a team with quite a few defense-first players, you can't have another LF that isn't a big offensive producer. For as great as Pods supposedly was, he never scored a ton of runs. Also, since when did an injured groin make you unable to draw a walk? I'm getting tired of hearing the excuse from some Sox people that the Pods injury has caused this slide. He's had plenty of time to get his groove back.

Unless you have a great number 3 hitter, like Vlad, the leadoff hitter is rather overrated. Pods has hurt us a lot this year when he comes up in clutch situations with RISP. I know people are sick of seeing this stat, but he's one of the worst in baseball in OBP in Late Inning Pressure Situations.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:25 AM) You don't keep Pods just because he's cheap. He's not good enough to play CF defensively, yet he doesn't hit for enough power in a corner position in an offense that desperately need upgrades. I can tell you right now, there'd be about a 70-30 ratio for Sox fans in favor of trading Pods before Rowand. I would love to trade Pods to a team desperate for a leadoff hitter. Sure, he's great at stealing bases, but he's extremely mediocre at quite a few skills. I would much rather keep Rowand in CF, and find some power in LF. If you do that, you could keep Uribe and Crede on the left side.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:25 AM) No, I'm just saying that the fact that you even considered putting those 2 on the list is just....horrible. But if washed up NL players is what the Sox are looking for, go for it. KW has had no problem trading for those type of guys in the past.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:24 AM) This site needs a cross reference feature. Anyone who was criticizing Ozzie yesterday for not PHing for Pierzynski is a hypocrite for lynching him today for playing Blum. We all wanted a ph today...but why Blum? He was our 4th best option off of the bench.

QUOTE(greg775 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:21 AM) Was it Oz's fault that Crede couldn't attend the game for family matters and KW got him Ozuna and fricking Blum and Widger and Timo and stiffs like that as his bench? Oz is not god to me but I agree I'm sick of fathom's blaming him for everything. The fact we have been consistently getting beat by Det's and KC's and all the teams that have been beating our ass the past 7 weeks makes me think we miss Frank and Maggs and played over our heads. Garland has sucked also and Fred and Mark haven't been as good. Is Oz to blame for all that????? These pitchers would have had a lot better numbers for their starts if Ozzie would have just refrained from letting them start that one extra inning, etc. These guys have all thrown a ton of pitches this season, and most of them have been "stressful" pitches due to all the close games. And NO ONE forced Ozzie to make those guys his permanent bench players. Why has he chosen Timo over Gload? Why has he chosen Marte over Cotts for late game situations? Why did he choose Duque over McCarthy for about 3 starts too long?

Ozzie wanted less power, and more speed in the lineup. KW went out and got Pods for Lee. KW did a tremendous job during the offseason with this team in terms of getting the players Ozzie wanted. I guarantee he won't come close to matching the type of success he had last offseason in this upcoming offseason. All the pieces fell into place for him to get AJP and Iguchi.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:13 AM) It can definitely work in the al but when it revolves around 1 player and the player injures his groin then it definitely can't work anymore. Yes, Pods injury hurt. However, once it gets warm out and the ball is flying out of the Cell, it's kinda pointless playing for one run when the number 9 hitter on the opposition can come up and hit an opposite field homer the next inning. There's a lot of moves that would have to be made to make the Sox a smallball team. Only the 1-2 hitters are good at that type of style. You would think that guys like Uribe and Rowand would be perfect for that style, but they're pretty awful in terms of offensive execution.

Every team will be asking for Contreras. I've long been on the side that you trade him when his value is at its peak. Of course, I wouldn't trade him for just anyone. Dunn and Tex are the two main guys I'd try to get. I do know this: Timo and Everett better be off this f'n team, and let the youngsters become back-up outfielders.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:05 AM) Wow, you just pulled that name out of your ass. Yeah, for some reason like 3 months ago, I just had a feeling that he would be brought in next season. This was when he was in the Tigers minor leagues, and you'd have to hink he'd be available this offseason.

Ozzie's better suited for the NL than the AL. Smallball is a much better approach in a pitcher's park with no DH.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 04:01 AM) I don't know if Nomar's going to get a starting SS job for that type of money. Personally I think he's headed to LA to take over as their 3B for Jose Valentin. And on Durazo, well the Sox need to change their philosophy then, and I know everyone who bashes their offense is probably going to agree on that. Right now if I was to predict a team, I'll say maybe Toronto, if they can find a taker for Eric Hinske. Maybe Steve Stone will take the Sox in a different direction? And I have no basis for this prediction, but I think Carlos Pena will be the Sox 1b next season. Just a gut feeling (have any gut feelings been right this month?).

The Sox got "a little magic" tonight, with all three teams losing games that it seemed like they had a very good chance to win sometime during the game.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 03:56 AM) Yeah with the raises the guys like those two are going to get, if you re-sign Konerko, we don't have the payroll room to bring in a guy like Helton. That's why signing a guy like Durazo to small contract with incentives has a much higher likelihood of happening. Durazo will go to a moneyball type of team that values walks. The Sox are about as far from that type of franchise as you can get. I would love to get Nomar, as I think he has the type of line drive swing we've been missing. However, he's on the record as saying he'll only sign on somewhere as a SS. And whoever said he'll get the minimum is quite wrong...he'll get somewhere between 6 and 8 million again.

Excellent points VAfan

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 03:48 AM) I know most people look at the whole what he has with ties to the franchise. But he has many more ties here, IMO. So his decision would have to be based off something else. A hell of a lot less pressure from the Florida media.

QUOTE(YahtzeeSox @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 03:50 AM) You people and your crazy stats. I dunno if I'm the only one, but I cannot AT ALL attach a stat like "W" to a hitter. Look at the simple stats and I say Helton. He's hardly ever injured so I don't think his age will be a big problem. Yes, his contract is big but I think it's one we can afford to bring in. How much more do we really need if we land Helton? Maybe 1 bullpen arm, but that's it. The Rockies have said they won't pick up any of Helton's contract. If you take on his contract, you can say goodbye to Garland and AJP, and hello to Duque and Ben Davis.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 03:46 AM) Fine then, trade Marte & Young and try to get Blalock. I know he had a down year this year, but I think he'll be improved for next year. I was all about the Hank bandwagon last week before I heard stuff from an AL scout, who said he's regressed as much as any player in the AL this season. I'm extremely worried about players who have struggled since the roids testing.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 03:40 AM) Now here's the all important argument. What's more important. Dunn's higher OBP and power numbers, or a guy like Helton's higher BA? Both of them are productive, and that's what this team needs. We need difference makers on offense, and not these 5 million dollar players. Sure, they put up solid numbers, but that's all you'll get from them.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Sep 28, 2005 -> 03:45 AM) Hey, why not just trade for Ichiro lol Mariners would love to get out of Beltre's contract.